Yeah, it's extremely short half life is responsible for that. One terrible negative long term side effect is the addiction and withdrawal, which can be even more uncomfortable than a normal benzodiazepine WD and can cause psychosis, I've experienced it.
It's a decent hypnotic IMO, very weak IME, but better than a benzo for milder insomnia, with problems falling asleep, not staying asleep. True benzos are better for more severe insomnia, but should not be used for more than 2 weeks in a row, IMO. The less frequently you rely on a hypnotic for sleep, the better off you will be. And amitryptamine is a much better option, so you should take it a few hours earlier than you'd normally go to bed so that you don't get that residual hangover, which also, should disappear over time with regular dosing. I've been on elavil before, and mirtazepine (eh, was alright sort of, kind of like trazodone) and trazodone (which was super sedating, but didnt put me to sleep, it zombified me, like being forced to stay awake on seroquel)